Measuring device



Feb.,l4, 1933. G. H. MAssY MEASURING DEVICE Filed Aug. 23, 1929 PatentedFeb. 14, 1933 'UNITED STATES GEORGE H. MASSY, OF BAYONNE, NEW 'JERSEYMEASURING DEVICE Application fued August 23, 1929.

4 This invention relates to measuring devicesand is herein illustratedas applied to a measuring device for showing the. amount of coaldelivered through a locomotive stoker 5 to the locomotive fire box, andis more particularly illustrated as adapted to be connected to a vDuplexstoker in which the crushed coal'is fed through a horizontal expandingtube'from the tender to the lire box of the locomotive.

AAccording to the form of the invention herein disclosed, the frictionof the coal in passing a given'point is utilized to drive a registeringdevice which records the amount of coal passing through the stoker. Thedevice is also shown as provided with a gate or controlling device whichcompels the coal fed-past a given point to fill the tube at the pointwhereA theA coal is being measured. ther features and advantages willhereinafter appear.

vIn the accompanying drawing,

'Figure lis a sectional side view of a stoker feedtube embodying thepresent invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view showing the construction of the frictionmember which is.- driven by the coal and its connections.

4Figure 3 is a-front view of the gate.

In t-he device herein illustrated the broken or granular coal deliveredfrom the usual crusher arms (not shown) enters a Crusher member 10 andiows into the opening of a tube 11 in which revolves a shaft 12 carryinga screw feed blade 13. The tube 11 is conjnecte'd to the .tender of thelocomotive and according to the present invention is `providedwith anexpanding cone projection 14 so that thecoal feeds toward and into-they.enlarged base ofthe cone and enters the usualtube,15which'is connectedtothe loco- ;motive so .that it delivers the coal into the lfire box.

In` the form of the invention herein illustrated the screw feeding blade13 is cut off at 16,so that the shaft from the point 16 to a .point` 17has no feeding blade on it. Between theipointsl and 17 is provided acircular openingl18 through which projects a part19 Vof a `truncated `orincomplete sphere 2O so journalled in a housing 21 fast to the lowerSerial N o. 387,831.

side 22 of the tube 15 that the spherical surface 19 engages the coallying in the tube and is rotated by the coal on the shaft 23 of thesphere section 20. The shaft 23 is so mounted that the sphere surface 19turns easily and 55 exactly with the movement of the flowing coal as itpasses from the member 10 through the tube 11 and the tube 15. For thispurpose the shaft 23 is screwed into an internal boss 24 so that anexternal thread 25 on the shaft "60 23 engages an internal thread 26 onthe boss 24 and holds the sphere section 19 on the shaft.

The shaft 23 is held against the end movement by shoulders 27 which bearagainst '65 washers 28 having overhanging skirts `29 adapted to throwany dirt clear of the surface 30 of the washer which bears against theend 31 of a journal 32, there being a journal 32 and a washer 28 at eachside of the sphere 70 section 19.

The journals 32 are carried by adjustable supports at each end of theshaft 23, each adjustable support comprising two threadedy standards 33passing through blocks 34 fast v on the outer surface of the tube 15 andriveted over at 35 on the inner surface of the tube, so that nuts 36 canbe .screwed upon the supports 33 against the members 34. Other nuts 37are screwed on to the standards 33 and '80 form supports for a bushing38, which is held in place by nuts 39 screwed down against the lug 40 ofan arch bracket 41, which spreads across from end to end of the spheresegment u 19, so that it unites the two bearings or jour- 5 nals 31.

There are a pair of the standards 33 and the other supporting elementsfor the journal 32 at each end of the shaft so the support for the ishaft is accurately adjustable to align bothy the support and the shaft.The shaft 23 is herein shown as hollow and having a brass member 42tightly screwed into its internally threaded end so that a flexibledriving shaft 43 connected to a cyclometer or other regis- 95 teringdevice will count the revolutions of the shaft 23 in any desired termsof quantity of coal or other material which may be measured. Y

The sphere segment 19 issurrounded by a closely tting edge of the casing15 which is out away from the sphere so as to leave an edge with amaximum clearance of a sixtyfourth of an inch.

In order to keep coal from jamming into the V opening 46 formed by theedge 45, there is provided an edge 47 on a collar 48. running around theinterior of the tube 15 at the edge 45 and also closely fitting thesphere segment, so the coal flowing past the edge 47 will pass smoothlyover the sphere, the collar 48 being welded electrically onto the tube15. The collar 48 has been found satisfactory when about three-eighthsof an inch thick and about the same width when closely fitting thecurvature of the tube 15. v

, In order to makesure that the same volume of coal is always passingthesegment 19 when coal is fed at a given rate, there is provided a iiowequaliZing device best shown in Figure 3 as including a volume gate 49vin theV form 'of a plate having an open bottomedarch through it, inwhich arch the shaft 12 can turn freely. The gate 49 is called anequalizing device because it is found to keep the cone projection14 fullof coal so that the cross sectional area of the column of coal passingthe .sphere 19 is constant. The plate 49 is kept in position because itis electrically welded to the advanced face of a transverse shaft 50which is journalled in the tube 15 well above the shaft 12 and has aturned over end 51 upon which is carried a weighted ball 52. Theweighted ball 52 has .been found satisfactory when weighing ten poundsand made v of cast iron and held by set nuts 53 about 12 inches from thebend 54 which the end51 p 'makes with the body of the shaft 50. The

equalizing gate or plate 49 is illustrated as so journalled that thecoal reaches it just after having passed the sphere segment 19, and itis found that under these conditions, and lying just outside theexpanding cone 14, the device j 45. provided with the equalizing gatecauses the coal to be measured with great accuracy. To

.Y hold the gate in place the end 51 makes an Y place.

angle of 15o with the gate 49, so the ball thrusts thegate against theon-coming coal.

In order to hold the casing 21 in place, it is provided withan opening55 through which a bolt 56 riveted on to the arch bracket 41 passes, sothat a nut 57 may be screwed down on the bolt 56 to hold the casing 21in place.

In order to close the end of the casing around the shaft 43, there isprovided a hollow member 58 provided witha screw thread 59 adapted to bethreaded down over ournal 32 and is also provided with a rubber gasket60 against which a hollow nut 61 is adapted to be screwed to hold thecasing 62 around the shaft 43 in On the oppositeY journal 32 there is fscrewed a corresponding cap 63 which closes the end and around which thecasing 21 is adapted to iit, thus keeping dust and dirt out of thebearings. v

It is found that a device of the character illustrated will measure coalwith remarkable accuracy. The device has been installed upon severalrailroads and no railroad has reported an error exceeding 1% and some,on long runs, have found that the error did not exceed one-tenth of onepercent of the coal used. Various types of sphere segments 1,9 have beenused both rough and smooth, and bronze and aluminum. So far as observeda smooth segment of brass was as satisfactory and as accurate as any.

As shown in Figure 3, the gate 49 need not fit the conduit tube 15closely but may have a half-inch clearance, and may be cut away oppositethe segment 19 to give the same clearance there,`segment projectinginwardly an inch and a half from the edge 47. Having thus describedcertainy embodiments of the invention, what is claimed is:

.driven by the rotatable device to indicate the volume of material fedthrough the conduit 2. In a measuring device, the combination with anearly horizontal conduit having an opening in its wall, of means forfeeding granular material through the conduit, a swinging gate in theconduit yieldably held so as to keep constant the cross-sectional areaofthe column of material fed, a relatively smooth rotatable device lyingin the opening in the Awall of the conduit'so that the material engagesand rotates the device nearly at the gate, and a registering devicedriven by i the rotatable device to indicate the volume of material fedthrough theconduit. 'f

' 3. In a measuring device, the combination with a nearly horizontalconduit having an opening in its wall, of means for feeding granularmaterial through the conduit, a swinging gate in the conduit journallednear its top so as to swing well clear of the wall of theV conduit', aweight holding theV gate l against the pressure of the .on-comingmaterial to keep constant the cross-sectional area of the column ofmaterial, a relativelyfsmooth rotatable deviceV projecting through theopening in the wall of the conduit so thatthe material'turns therotatable device before it has'cleared the gate, and a registeringdevice driven by the rotating device lto indicate the volume ofrmaterialfed through the conduit.

4. In a measuringdevice, the combination with a conduit having arelatively. small section followed by a larger section, of a screw feedfor delivering granular material from the small section of the conduitto the larger section of the conduit, an equalizing gate pastwhich thematerial is fed so that the cross-sectional area of the column ofmaterial is maintained constant, a rotatable device substantially at thegate and driven by the material, and a registering device driven by therotatable device to indicate the volume of material fed through theconduit.

5. In a measuring device, the combination with a conduit having arelatively small section followed by a larger section, of a screw forforcing granular material out of the relatively small section of theconduit into the larger section thereof, a second screw for removing thematerial from the larger section, a swinging gate between the screwsweighted to act as an equalizer and keep constant the cross-sectionalarea of the column of material fed past it, a rotatable devicesubstantially at the gate and driven by the material, and a registeringdevice driven by the rotatable device to indicate the volume of materialfed through the conduit.

G. In a measuring device, a conduit, means for feeding granular materialthrough the conduit, a swinging transverse plate within the conduithaving substantial clearance at the sides and adapted to permit materialto pass, a weight swinging the plate against the thrust of the materialso that the crosssectional area of the column of material is keptconstant, a register, and a rotatable device driven by the movement ofthe material and connected to the register to indicate the volume ofmaterial fed through the conduit.

7. In a measuring device, a conduit having an expanding section and aneXit, means for feeding granular coal material through the expandingsection of the conduit, means for withdrawing the material into the eXitend of the conduit, a swinging plate journalled transversely of theconduit and having an opening and forming a gate for the material so asto cause the coal to fill the conduit, a weight holding the gateaga-inst the on-coming coal, a rotatable device driven by the material,and a. register driven by the device to indicate the volume of materialfed through the conduit.

8. In a measuring device, a conduit including a side having an openingtherein, means for feeding granular material through the conduit, meansfor maintaining the conduit full of the material at a point near thefeeding means, a rotatable member having a spherical surface journalledso as to project through the opening in the side of conduit and to bedriven by the material where it fills the conduit, a register, and meanswhereby the register is driven by the member to indicate on the registerthe volume of material fed through the conduit.

9. In a measuring device, a conduit, a screw including a shaft forfeeding granular material into the conduit, a second screw on said shaftfor carrying the material out of the conduit, an equalizing devicebetween the screws for holding the conduit full at that point, arelatively smooth rotatable member projecting into the conduit anddriven by the material, and a registering device driven by the rotatablemember to indicate the volume of material fed through the conduit.

10. In a measuring device, a conduit, a screw including a shaft forfeeding granular material into the conduit, means for keeping theconduit constantly full at one part of the path of the material, asecond screw carrying material out of the conduit after it has passedthe part where the conduit is full, a registering device, and meansdriven by the flow of the material where it fills the conduit fordriving the registering device.

GEORGE H. MASSY.

